The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-10-26

tudb ID u6c 10 us at
present"
sit is not case of suicide?"
Judge for yourself. You remember that
at the inquest the Rev. Alfred Stuckey stated
that he returned with his father from Rich
mond about five, and left a quarter of an
hour later in order to catch the 5:35 Metro
politan train to King s-cross."
81 do"
Every we'll. Now have ascertained that
Mr.. Alfred and the deceased took carriage
at Richmond not long before four p. NJ, but
were only driven as far as Barnes, where at
their own request, they were put down on
the towpath. have found the fiyman, who
says that he set them down ON the towpath
nearly opposite Chswick about 80, and
saw them walk away eastward. We have
also got hold of an old woman who saw them
On the towpath near Hammersmith Bridge,
but whether below or above she cannot
state, walking in the direction of Putney.
She says 1t was within few minutes of five
o'clock, and just getting dusk On that day,
October IS, the sun. you will find, set at :57.
Now it is not impossible, of course, that AL
fred Stuckey may have been on the towpath,
walking towards Putney about five o'clock,
and yet have taken the deceased home, as he
states, and have afterwards caught the 8 :35
train; but to my mind, this evidence throws
grave doubt on his story. Remember we
have only Alfred Stuckey's word for it that
the deceased ever went home at all. On the
other hand, there is strong presumption
that some time after five o'clock that night
he found his way into the river, having been,
according to the medical testimony, knocked
on the head first, presumably by some one
who had motive for doing so, which
stranger to him would not have.''
"You think he was murdered?"
Il form no theory at present, but think
that Messrs. Alfred and Ephraim Stuckey
between them know more about their faith
er's disappearance than they have yet dis
closed, and that the evidence we now have
offers very convenient means of squeezing
the truth out of them"
"Then what do you adviser"
PUT all our information in the hands of
the police. We shall never prove suicide,
aud if It'll case of murder that does not
help the office. 1t is. therefore, not worth
the Company's while to spend money on
further inquiries. On the other hand, if
there be any fraud in the case, the truth
will very soon come out when one or the
other of these gentlemen is arrested on
charge Of murder, which expect we shall
see before another week is over
In this last conjecture Mr.. George was not
mistaken-he very seldom was about such
matters. Within four or five days from the
time when he forwarded his information to
Scotland Yard. the Rev. Alfred Stuckey was
in custody, charged with numbering his ia
Their.
When he appeared before the magistrate
the facts detailed by Mr.. George were sup
plemented by piece of evidence of most
damning character. A tramp named Riggs
was called, and he deposed to having seen
the deceased, whom he knew quite well by
sight, in company with another man on the
towpath between Hammersmith and Putney
some time after dark; to having overheard
something like an alteration, the old man
apparently refusing to go on, and the young
one threatening to chuck him into the river
if he were troublesome; and, finally, to hay
ing heard two or three loud cries, after he
had passed. Higgs did not attempt to iden-
fly the prisoner, but he was sure that the
man with the deceased was in black coat,
and closely resembled the prisoner in height
and figure. With regard to the time he was
uncertain; but it was clear from his state
ments that it must have been within five
minutes on either side Of quarter to sixs
This left time, as the prosecution showed,
for the prisoner to catch train at Putney
Bridge by which he could have reached ST.
Pancras so as to travel by the 7:1O down.
town train from that station. On this evil
dence the magistrate, without hesitation,
committed the prisoner for trial
Only one other piece OF evidence was
adduced when the trial came off at the
Old Bailey, but it had an important bearing
on the issue. 1t appeared that when he had
left the University, four or five years pre-
viously, the prisoner was very much in debt;
that he had lately been threatened with sum-
mary proceedings by some of his Oxford
creditors, and that on the day of his arrival
in town he had been to an advertising money
lender to endeavor to raise money on his
small expectations from his father. In this
he had been unsuccessful. Here, then, as
counsel for the Crown did not fail to point
out at the trial, was sufficient explanation
of the motive for the diabolical act For the
defence, every attempt possible was made to
prove. an alibi, but none of the witnesses
who thought that they had seen the prison.
er elsewhere were positive about the time;
and in the face of the admitted fact that the
prisoner had travelled to and left st. Pan
cras Station on that night, their evidence
came to nothing The judge, who, unfortu-
nately for Alfred Stuckey, happened to have
reputation for hanging, of which he is not
little proud, put it to the jury that their
verdict must practically depend upon the
weight they attached to Riggs's evidence,
which was not only consistent with all the
evidence as to the prisoners previous move
ments, but was strongly corroborated by the
witnesses Identification of the deceased,
There could, in fact, said his lordship, be no
reasonable doubt that Higgs had seen the
deceased on the tow-path in company with
some man, who was threatening him with
violence. The only question was whether
that man was the prisoner. in whose COM
pany the deceased was proved to have been
up to half an hour previously, or somebody
else whom no attempt had been made to
identify, and who had no motive for the
crime. The jury naturally preferred the
former alternative, and returned a verdict
of Guilty"
Mr.. and Mrs. Watfles were much pleased
with their ledger, Mr.. Bib, though they felt
rather sorry for the old gentleman, too 1t
was very sad to see him sitting in his room
alllday looking at pictures, or gazing out Of
the window with that blank expression on
his face. But on the other hand, young Mr..
Bib paid Mrs. Waffles an extra half-guinea
per week for keeping an eye on the old gem
tleman, and had also paid several weeks
rent in advance, which is by no means the
usual practice of dodgers in the neighborhood
of Remington Park, where Mr. and Mrs.
Wafies resided. Moreover, so far from re-
quirlng extra attention, Mr. Bib gave no
trouble but did whatever he was told to
do, and would never even have asked for his
meals If they had not been forthcoming.
That was why Mr. and Mrs Waffies were SO
pleased with their ledger.
1t therefore gave Mrs. Waffles, as she sub |